Anne Downey Joseph St. Pierre

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Bill and Scottie Ferry ended up on Governor’s Island, in New Hampshire, Lake Winnipesaukee, because they needed a place to put a boat. “In 1987, we were living in Amherst, New Hampshire, and Bill called me from work one day and said, ‘I bought a boat—I guess we’re going to have to find someplace to put it,’” Scottie remembers. So, she headed north, and bought the first house the realtor showed her, on the 200-acre island that is one of 274 habitable islands in the lake.

(Note: It is not clear why it is known as Governor’s Island, although locals say that it has always been so called, at least in recent history. In 1772, the proprietors of the land, a family named Mason, gave Governor John Wentworth title to the island in recognition of his efforts to develop the land around Wolfeboro, across the lake. Wentworth constructed a mansion in Wolfeboro in 1769, which was thought to be the earliest summer house in the Lakes region, and which was destroyed by fire in 1820, but he never lived on Governor’s Island. From 1799–1857, a family named Davis owned the island, and so for many years, it was known as Davis Island. In 1885, Stilson Hutchins, who founded the Washington Post, built a granite mansion on the island, which also served for a time as a summerhouse for the German Embassy. It was known as the “Governor’s mansion,” but it, too, eventually burned down).

Bill and Scottie and their two children found that they loved life on the lake, and over the years, many other boats followed—Bill has a passion for wooden motorboats, and collects vintage boats as well as reproductions. The first home they bought on the island lacked a sensational view, though, so when a piece of property on a point came up for sale, with 260 feet of water frontage, and a view that encompasses Gunstock Mountain, they snapped it up. Bill had recently retired from the retail industry—he helped build Lands’ End, Inc., and retired from Eastern Mountain Sports—and one of his and Scottie’s goals for retirement was to reconnect with family and friends. The colonial house on the property was too small to accomplish that goal, so they took it down and started again.

It should be said that the Ferrys are special: whereas many couples find building a new home stressful, they have approached all their building and renovation projects very energetically, and it’s something they enjoy doing together. “We’ve moved nine times, and have renovated or added on to everything we’ve lived in,” Scottie says. “This is the second house we’ve built. I know some people find it a chore, but Bill and I think it’s fun. While I’m a procrastinator, Bill is more of a ‘don’t put off ’til tomorrow what you could have done yesterday’ type—as a partnership, it works.”

At “Lands’ End,” Bill and Scottie have achieved that rare thing: a big house that feels homey.